VPon Friday the 4. of Feb. the governour of Drogedah Sir Henry Tichburne with some horse and foote, sall [...]d out of the E [...]st gate, with an intention to fetch in some corne from a place called the Greene Hills, being a quarter of a mile out of the Towne, but they we [...]e scarce out of the Towne gates, be­fore they were encountred by Hugh Boy O Neale, the ene­mies Marshall of the fi [...]ld, who was there waiting an op­portunity with about seven hundred men; the enemy at the first assault made a great shew of courage and resoluti­on, but assoone as Captaine Fortescue, and Captaine Owens had fired on their flankes, they instantly ranne away, and the horse and foote of our side fell to execution, and in the chase killed about two hundred, together with the said Hugh Boy O Neale, and some other officers, and that without the losse of one m [...]n on our side, but one who af­terwards dyed of his hurt.

Upon the fourteenth day Captaine Martyn was sent with fifty musquetiers, and falling into a qu [...]rter of the e­nemies, there was some twenty of the enemies slain, and but one of ours. Upon the eighteenth the Governour ha­ving resolved to beat upon a quarter of the enemies at a place called Ramullin, halfe a mile off the Towne, he be­ing [Page] [Page] [...] [Page] accompained with Sir Patrick Weymes, with some of the Lord of Ormonds horse, together with the Lord Moores, Sir Adam Loftus, Sir Thomas Lucas, their horse, and Captaine Weynman, Captaine Byrone, Captaine For­tescue, Sir Iohn Burlasse, Captaine Billingsly, Captaine Ro­per and Captaine Cadogan, with 450. foote marched out of the Towne upon breake of the day, and the forlorne hope of horse, and 40. commanded musketiers marched a good way before the body, and being come within musket shot, the enemy plaied stoutly and very hotly at them; but our musketiers having killed about ten of them, Lieutenant Francis Moore who commanded the forlorne hope of horse being accompained with his cornet, and C [...]ptaine Cadogan, & the Lord Moores horse charged into the town, but with much adoe, the enemy having baroc [...]ded the waies, and having entred the Towne▪ they discerned the e­nemy flying by the river Boyne towards the old bridge, they pursued them, and in the chase they killed some sixty of them, and if the musketiers had come in, there had beene an hundred more killed at least, for so many of them had got under a mighty great and steep rocke on the water side, where the horsemen could not possibly come at them, and withall▪ their owne fellowes Colonell Mac Brians men being on the other side of the Boyne shot very thicke at us, but hurt not one, though they spent a great deale of powder and lead; when wee retreated wee could discerne a great body of the enemy making towards us from old bridge, and as we came towards our main body, which all the while remained entire, we could see a great number of the enemy marching in good aray towards our body; but before we could come up, though we road hard, the enemie betooke themselves to their heels, and Da [...]ies sonne of Plattine, being one of their Captaines, [Page] lost his horse, and ran away a foote over the great ditches towards his fathers house, which had he not done, he had gone home shorter by the head; here againe we killed a­bout a score of them, both executions done by the horse, the foote not stirring but when the governour led them to­wards the enemy; in this last skirmish the Earle of Or­monds, and the Vice Treasurers horse gained good ap­plause for their valour and forwardnesse, as likewise did the Lord Moores, and Sir Thomas Lucas in the first; the horse had no sooner retreated to the body, but we could discerne Colonells Mac Brians men hard by us, the sight of them drew us to a beliefe that we should have a hot fight now with both the divisions, those that before had fled to Plat­tine, having rallied thēselves into a body again, & that with such celerity▪ as was to be wondred at, but howsoever they let us depart quietly, & we came seasonably into the town, for had we staied a little longer, some 800. of the enemy had got betwixt us and the towne, and then we had been engaged to fight with all their divisions, which did consist of 1500. or 1600. men at least.

Upon the 24. being Saint Matthias, most hppily ari­ved our reliefe of provision and ammunition, it came sea­sonably, for we were come almost to the last morsell: The enemy laboured hard to hinder the bringing of it in, who hoped that famine should force us to yeeld up the Towne▪ they had two peeces of Ordinance▪ and a world of mus­kets playing from either shore; but God be praised, our ships came up safely to the Key without the losse of one man, or so much as one hurt but one, which was a great wonder, the channell being not in most places a musket shot over, [...]y the vessells sometimes were forced to come within a stone cast of the shore.

On the next day in the morning we were not aware be­fore [Page] 500. of the enemy had entred the Towne of Tradagh, and the whole grosse of them without, making all haste to enter in at an old low doore, which by the treachery of some of the townesmen, who are not as yet certainely knowne, was broken open for them; it was a strange thing to heare, for the aire ecchoed with their hellish cries, being entred, and the allarum taken, they were forthwith encountred in severall p [...]ces, a great number of them made for the mill mount, the only strength of the Towne, where Captaine Cadogan kept his guard, it was darke, and a man could not well distinguish betweene a friend and a foe; the enemy immediately upon their advancing up the hill, laid Captaine Cadogans out centries dead, which hee per­ceiving from the hill, caused fire to bee given at them, which they perceiving to be hot, faced about, and as they were taking themselves to their heeles, Captaine Cadogan arrested their leader with a musket from the mount, who being pilladged, was found to be an officer, the rest fai­ling of their plot ran into orchards & gardens, where they were cut in peeces by Cap. Owens men, and their companies being encountred by the governours owne men, and Sir Thomas Lucas his horse were quite broken and routed, di­vers other companies comming in, they were slaine and taken, or the greatest part of them: one Captaine Conner a Meath man was slain, & amongst others an old traiterous servant of Captaine Cadogans; divers of the Captaines and others are concealed by the Townesmen in their houses, and although upon perill of their lives they were requi­red to bring them forth, yet they have hitherto failed.

It was a happy deliverance, for which we are bound to give God thankes▪ for truly had any understanding ene­my had the same advantage of us as these men had, we had beene all lost, besides the centry we lost one hors [...] man▪ and [Page] two or three footmen, and very few hurt, but so soone as day appeared, with our great and small shot were beaten from our wales like dogges. Captaine Roper and Cap­taine Morice had like to have beene taken by them, as con­ceiving the enemy upon their entrance to be our own men; truly both officers and souldiers behaved themselves like men, they were both valiant and resolute, so that wee are confident the rebellious blades will not bee very for­ward to come to such another breakefast as this in haste.

This day came Sir Philemon Oneale from the f [...]rther northerne parts to these enemies who had beleagured us, he was as we hope and beleeve very well beaten by the Scotchmen, but we have no certainty of it as yet. As I am a Gentleman all this is true, you may report this to the whole world. So I take my leave, desiring thee to pray for us, and we will fight for thee and the rest, not doubting but that our God whom we serve, will still so blesse us and grant us victory to the glory of his name, which is the prayer of,